The Whys of Poetry: Affordances of Poems in the Classroom and Life 

With National Poetry Month underway, the authors of this post wanted to share why we read, write, and teach poetry.  The curriculum in today’s English Language Arts classroom is often over packed, and poetry offers an immediate entry to a classroom experience that allows young people to be critical and reflective thinkers. In a time when we compete for students’ attention with social issues and social media, poetry offers a doorway to a space of contemplation and playfulness, among other affordances.

Poetry is more than just rhymes and rhythms; poetry can offer different kinds of reader and writer experiences and push our students to think deeply. Here, we describe some of the many affordances of poetry and offer examples to spark new ideas for incorporating reading and writing poetry in your classroom. 

Contemplative Practice 

Often poems attend to the subtle and the quiet elements of experience. Poems allow us to slow down and pay attention to the experiences of reading and writing them. Reading contemplative poems and reading poems contemplatively offer a different way of being. Inviting students to write poetry contemplatively creates a space for mindfulness and intrapersonal reflection.

• Example: Mary Oliver’s “Wild Geese” encourages students to explore their place in the natural world, suggesting an intrinsic connection between humans and nature. The poem invites reflection on environmental stewardship and the intertwining of our lives with the ecosystem.

Distillation of Ideas and Precision of Language 

Poems allow us to dive deeply into an idea, moment, or concept in a short period of time, due to the precision of poetic language. Short poetry can be used to quickly illustrate aspects of language and metaphor use. With the reading of poetry, teachers can efficiently cover a wide range of standards through diverse, short texts. In writing poetry, students practice precise language choice and control over their subject.

• Example: Emily Dickinson’s “Hope is the thing with feathers” encapsulates the vast, complex concept of hope within a simple, vivid metaphor of a bird. The poem conveys the resilience and omnipresence of hope through concise language and imagery, demonstrating how poetry can convey profound ideas in just a few lines.  

The Rhetorical Power of Poetry 

Poems allow us to convince others (and sometimes ourselves) of the value of an idea or way of understanding a particular experience. Reading poems that reflect on current events or social issues can provide different viewpoints on the same idea or event, allowing for rich dialogue and discussion. When writing poems, students can offer personal arguments for their own viewpoint and experience in order to share, sway, or convince.  

• Example: Langston Hughes’s “Let America Be America Again” can teach students about the rhetorical strategies of repetition, contrast, and imagery to convey powerful messages of social justice and equality. The poem can engage students in discussions about the disparities between the American ideal and the experiences of marginalized groups, fostering critical thinking and empathy.  

Emotional Expression and Processing Experience

Poems let us process and express our emotions to make sense of personal experiences. We can explore emotions and the human condition. Reading poems that grapple with emotional experiences can provide original metaphors that may resonate with students. The act of writing a poem is a tool for the heart and the brain to process and make sense of the ineffable. 

• Example: Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” can illustrate how poetry facilitates the processing and expression of deep emotions, particularly in grappling with themes of resistance and acceptance of death. The poem’s repetitive villanelle structure provides a powerful framework for students to explore both their own feelings about mortality and the human instinct to fight against inevitable ends.  

Playfulness 

Play needs its place in the classroom! Poems allow us to be playful with language and ideas. In poetry writing, rules can be bent, broken, or even ignored, with a focus on expression over form.  In reading humorous or playful poetry, teachers bring levity into the classroom, increasing engagement and buy-in from students. Writing poetry offers a nonjudgmental space to express students’ sense of humor, creativity, and perspective.    

• Example: Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” demonstrates the playfulness of poetry, with this poem’s inventive language and fantastical setting inviting readers into a whimsical world. The poem’s use of nonsensical words and vivid imagery challenges students to explore the bounds of their imagination and the flexibility of language in conveying mood and action.  

“Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors“

Poems allow us access to the experiences of others as well as finding voices that mirror our own. Rudine Sims Bishop’s 1990 article “Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Glass Doors” explores how texts can offer access to experiences that are similar and different from our own.  Reading poems by people of various sexes, gender identities, cultures, race/ethnicities, ages, and other forms of diversity offer windows and mirrors into experiences that may otherwise be underrepresented in our curriculum. Writing poems allows students to create their own windows, mirrors, and/or sliding doors for others students to create their own windows, mirrors, and/or sliding doors for others. 

• Example: Rhina P. Espaillat’s “Bilingual/Bilingüe” acts as a mirror for bilingual students, reflecting their personal experiences of navigating and reconciling dual linguistic and cultural identities, often within the intimate context of family dynamics and societal expectations. For students who speak only one language or come from monolingual backgrounds, the poem serves as a window, offering insight into the complexities, challenges, and beauty of living between two languages and cultures. 

Performance and Developing Voice

Poems allow us an opportunity to share ideas and words in our own individual, authentic voices. Performing the poetry of others or of their own creation can help students experience the power of oration and performance. Listening and watching the performance of poems, as well as inviting students to read poetry aloud, provides a new perspective on voice and content based on how the poem is spoken. Writing and then performing a poem allows students to explore, gain confidence, and take pride in their own voice and identity.      

• Example: Todd Alcott’s “Television,” an energetic and loud poem, showcases a vibrant, dynamic approach to poetry, diverging from traditional, serene forms to capture the frenetic pace and overwhelming presence of TV culture. The poem’s lively rhythm and bold imagery, when performed, electrify the classroom atmosphere, demonstrating how poetry can embody the intensity and clamor of contemporary life.  

Community and Connection 

Poems allow us to create community around a shared idea or set of texts, both within the classroom and in conversation with practicing poets. Creating these communal spaces of authentic and engaged discourse is the heart of a successful English Language Arts classroom. Through reading and writing poetry, teachers and students come together and form lasting communities of writing, reading, and playful practice.   

• Example: Host a poetry reading of student-composed poems. Doing so will foster a sense of community by providing a platform for students to express their individual experiences, emotions, and perspectives in a supportive environment. As students listen to each other’s poems, they will gain insights into their peers’ inner worlds, fostering empathy, understanding, and deeper interpersonal connections. This collective experience of vulnerability and creativity will strengthen the classroom community. 

From the quiet introspection of contemplative reading to the communal joy of performance and sharing, poetry offers unique opportunities for growth, connection, and expression. You can use these affordances to consider an entire next unit of study focused on poetry.  However, these affordances may be even more useful when considering the themes of current units and how the addition of a poem or two could contribute toward a unit’s goals.

Have these ideas resonated with you? If so, we’re eager to hear from you. Email us with your favorite approach to incorporating poetry in your classroom or your favorite poem to teach. We’re currently delving deeper into these concepts, working on a book that aims to expand on the affordances of poetry, suggest a broad range of poems for classroom exploration, and provide practical lesson planning ideas for integrating poetry seamlessly into the curriculum.  

AP® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product. 

Image Credit: Katherine Ann Hoffman